In Your Eyes
by LilyGhost
Summary: Ranger is away on a job when he gets a call to come back home. Will he continue to run away from what he and Stephanie have? Or will Ranger finally look into her eyes and tell Stephanie what he should have said a long time ago? A Ranger POV story.


**This story is the result of a challenge I was given by ShellSueD who was hoping for a Babe story using the song "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel. After listening to the song a few times, and going over the lyrics as I was writing, this is what I came up with. It's not exactly a songfic, but I tried to incorporate the meaning of the lyrics into the story. All familiar characters belong to Janet. The mistakes are mine. Warnings for a little language and a teeny bit of smut.**

"Ranger? You'd better get your ass back here?" Tank said into my ear.

"What happened?" I asked, my body immediately alert.

My first thought was that Stephanie is in trouble. She's been on my mind constantly these last two days since I left Trenton to pick up Gabe Peterton in California. I could have let someone else make the capture, but I needed time to clear my head. It was a stupid - and apparently useless - move because thoughts of Stephanie have continued to fill it even though thousands of miles are currently separating us. At least back in Trenton, only Morelli and my no relationship rule are between us, not an entire fucking country.

"Steph's car got torched again," Tank was saying. "And when the police showed up, Morelli started acting like a prick again. According to Hal, who was the closest man to the scene, Stephanie ended things with Joe. If you want a shot with her, now would be a good time to get your ass here and claim your woman."

"What makes you think Stephanie is_ my woman_?"

"Don't be a dick about this, too. Everyone, including Morelli, knows that you want Stephanie. Now get back home and do something about it. Cal is already in the air to take your place."

"I don't need you to fix my life, _Pierre_."

"Yeah, you do. All I can say is you're lucky I give a shit about you and Stephanie. A car will be waiting for you in Newark."

And the asshole hung up. Now I get why Stephanie bitches me out for disconnecting calls without a word. If it had been anyone other than Tank, they'd be spitting out teeth the second I stepped off the plane. But Tank and I have had each other's back since we were eighteen. He's the only one besides Stephanie who dared challenge me on anything. That didn't mean I'm not going to beat his ass when I'm back in Trenton.

I kept up my tail on Peterton until I got the call that Cal was minutes away. When he took over, I headed back to the hotel, threw my shit into a bag, and for once listened to Tank. Half the reason I personally came to drag Peterton back to Trenton was to put some miles between Stephanie and I. I've been trying to respect her relationship with Morelli, but it's getting harder to stay away from her. Today is a good example of that. I'm as far away from Stephanie as I can be geographically and still be in the same country, and yet I'm walking away from a job just to make sure she's alright. It's fucking pathetic.

I've even sunk so low as to use Stephanie's feelings for me to maneuver her further into my life, offering her a job at Rangeman, calling her for distraction jobs when all I really needed was my Glock and a minute free to cuff the fucker, and I've even started breaking into her apartment on nights I know Morelli is working. I hadn't consciously decided to make our relationship even more complicated than it'd been already, but ultimately that's what I did. So much so that I felt I had to put more than a dozen states between us. And I still managed to only stay away from Stephanie for two fucking days.

Watching her with Morelli has been hell, and lately my nights have been pure torture. Picturing her beautiful face, remembering the noises she made when I was moving deep inside her, and thinking again of the various emotions I've seen flickering in her eyes when I say her name in a slightly lower voice, is slowly killing me. I'm someone who is used to getting my way, but in this particular area of my life that has been impossible.

The first thing I noticed about Stephanie Plum were her eyes. Growing up surrounded by dark brown ones, her bright blue eyes immediately drew my attention. Stephanie's body has caused me plenty of sleepless nights - and a few cold showers - her attitude is sexy as hell, and her mouth can make me instantly hard, but really what did me in is the humor, intelligence, and determination I see in the depths of her blue eyes.

Morelli thinks my interest in Stephanie is purely sexual. And while I won't say sex with her doesn't play a part in it, that isn't the only thing I'm after. Stephanie is the only woman who has intrigued me, made me laugh, and also made me _feel_. Only recently have I been able to name the feeling ... love.

I don't like anyone having control over me, but Stephanie has it all. And she doesn't even know it. I'd planned on keeping it that way until Tank's phone call. If Morelli is being an asshole, and treating Stephanie like shit again, I'm through playing nice. I'm going to move in and Morelli can go fuck himself. I told Stephanie point blank that I'd take advantage of any opportunity presented to me, and this could turn into a big one if I don't fuck it up. There's a chance Morelli will beat me there and guilt Steph into taking him back, but I'm not concerned. The mood I'm in now, I'll take on Stephanie's doubts, Morelli, and the whole fucking Burg, to get what I want.

Normally when I feel like this, I'd take off in the Turbo and purposely drive as far away from Stephanie as I could until I had myself back under control so I wouldn't screw up both our lives. But right now, I don't give a shit about consequences. I had to be with Stephanie when she needed me. I left sunny California behind for cold, snowy Jersey with no regrets.

Tank had left me no excuse not to come back. He had a ticket waiting for me for the next flight out. The five plus hours gave me additional time to think about what I was about to do. I've spent years just surviving, then thriving, to now merely existing. Stephanie is the one person who can change that. She has allowed me to be who I really am without having to apologize for it. Whether I'm acting like an ass, a cocky bastard, or the man who loves her, she accepted it. I know some days she really shouldn't have, but what is left of my soul appreciated it.

I now look to Stephanie to pull me back from the edge when I'm close to breaking and need to be reined in. Tank has Steph's number on his phone precisely for that reason, so on a really bad day he can reach her immediately when he thought I needed to 'calm the fuck down'. Those four words are said by Tank usually ten minutes before Stephanie just happened to show up where we were. Steph and I both know she'd been called, but we never discuss it.

The plane landed and I wasted no time getting the hell out of Newark. I debated whether to call Stephanie first or just show up, but in the past giving her a heads up never worked in my favor, so I dumped my bag in the trunk of the car and drove straight to her apartment building.

I almost turned around three times before I made it there. The lights shining in her windows seemed both inviting and beyond my reach. The familiar urge to run was there, but I knew I couldn't walk away from Stephanie if she was upset. Even when I've been the one upsetting her. A better person would have left her alone long ago. That ceased to be an option when I grasped just how special she really is. Stephanie makes everyone around her feel equally special, she gives hope to those of us who distrust it, and has made me as complete a man as I'm likely to get.

Besides, every time Stephanie gets too close and I try to distance myself from her again, I end up right back where I am now ... in her lot staring up at her apartment. Stephanie Plum has been my most ruthless opponent. When I pull away from her, she advances. As soon as she tells me to back off, I find myself wanting to get even closer to her. Like now. I should keep my ass here in the car, or get the hell out of her lot completely, and let Stephanie figure out for herself if she wants to be with me without Morelli as a barrier. But I already knew before I reached for the door handle that I wasn't going anywhere except up to her apartment. That I _couldn't_ go anywhere else.

Everything I've done, lived through, and faced, has made me the man who is sitting here now. The man who never wanted anything for himself except Stephanie Plum. And my gut instinct was telling me to stop being a dick and do exactly as Tank suggested and claim_ my _woman. If Stephanie goes back to Morelli, they'd be married this time. Morelli would demand as proof that she loves him more than me. I couldn't let that happen. Every positive thing I manage to accomplish will mean shit without seeing Stephanie smile at me for doing it, or watching her eyes turn shiny with feeling when I tell her I love her, and sparkle when she laughs at me during what she calls my 'playful' mood. I've spent my adult life never realizing that I've been searching for her. And no way in hell is she getting away from me now.

That alone made me take the stairs two at a time to reach Stephanie's apartment on the second floor. I made quick work of her locks and stepped inside. That she wasn't sitting on her couch elbow deep in a vat of ice cream had me worried. I saw no opened wine bottle, and there were no Tastykake wrappers littering the coffee table. Apparently the only thing Stephanie normally relies on for comfort that's actually here in the apartment is _me_.

That thought propelled me down the hall to her bedroom. The door was open and I could see that Stephanie was laying on her back in bed, fully clothed, just staring into the now semi-dark room. Even from the doorway I could tell that her eyes were puffy, but I couldn't detect any tears.

"Are you alright, Babe?" I asked softly, walking into the room.

She didn't even jump. Stephanie now expects me to just show up in her bedroom with no warning.

"Why wouldn't I be?" She asked, turning her head on the pillow to look at me.

"Morelli."

"Let me guess ... Hal blabbed."

"Tank told me that Hal was the first one on the scene."

"_Tank_ told you? Oh, great," she said, covering her eyes briefly with her hands. "I bet everyone at Rangeman knows exactly what was said, too. I wasn't exactly keeping my voice down."

"They only know because they care about you, Steph. And no one wants to see you hurt. Not by a car bomb or your asshole of a boyfriend."

"Hah, the guys must not have been very thorough collecting info then, because Morelli isn't _my_ anything anymore."

"And that's why you've been crying?" I asked, sitting down on the bed beside her.

"No," Steph said, surprising me. "I was crying because I realized just how friggin' stupid I've been. I've wasted years of my life on someone who doesn't give a shit about me."

"I don't like seeing you hurting, Steph. And I refuse to sit here and watch you beat yourself up over a man who doesn't deserve it. _Morelli _was the one trying to force you into a role you weren't meant to play. Joe wants what you'll never be, what you'll never _want _to be. That's _his _problem, Babe, not yours. Remember that."

"But I was going along with him. That's what pissed me off today. I was letting him treat me like crap, and it finally dawned on me that I couldn't go through this with him again."

"Stephanie ..."

"No, Ranger. You're going to try to convince me that this is all Joe, but it isn't. Today was one of those turning point moments."

"How so?" I asked, curious as to what was going through her mind now.

Steph didn't seem to mind me being in her bedroom - or on her bed - so I nudged her over and stretched out next to her, my back against her headboard and my legs taking up the length of the mattress.

"For the last four freakin' months, I've caught every skip I have gone after. My apartment hasn't been broken into once by anyone except _you_," she said, smiling at me. "My car has lasted longer than most of the vehicles I've owned. And I've been more conscious of my own safety, not to mention everyone else's, too. I haven't even needed the guys as backup as much as I used to, but when I did need them they were returned to you unscathed."

"You've learned a lot since you agreed to work at Rangeman."

"Yeah, I have. But Joe doesn't see that. One stupid thing happens to my car and Joe goes right back to saying how inept I am. I've always been harder on myself than anyone else has been on me, and even _I _know I no longer suck at what I do. But the man who is supposed to love me more than anything else obviously still thinks of me as a huge screw up. It's like Joe was just waiting for me to mess up again so we could get back to normal."

"You're not the same woman you were when you first started seeing Morelli, Steph," I told her.

Looks like I'm going to have to have a little talk with Morelli very soon. If the shitholes of Stark Street aren't allowed to insult Stephanie without fear of retribution, Joseph Morelli sure as hell isn't getting away with it.

"No, I'm not the same, but only you and I can see the difference. So ... where did you disappear to?" She asked me, clearing not wanting to discuss Morelli further. "I thought for sure the Batmobile would be pulling up instead of Hal in his Rangeman SUV."

"I was in California."

Steph just looked at me for a few beats, not blinking or saying anything.

"You hopped on a place and flew across the country just to see me because my car died along with mine and Joe's relationship?"

"Babe, we both know I'd do that and more for you."

"I would've been fine, Ranger. I wouldn't be nearly as happy as I am now that you're here, but I would've worked through my crap on my own while you were finishing up whatever it was you were doing."

"Maybe _I _was the one who needed _you_," I told her, finally dropping the Man of Mystery facade and letting a little of my own emotions out. "Did you ever think of that, Babe?"

"Honestly? _No_."

"Why?" I asked her.

"You're kidding, right?"

"I never kid."

"Yes you do," she said. "At least, you do with me."

"And why do you think that is?"

"Because I amuse you?"

"Yes, but that's not all, Steph. You've given me a whole hell of a lot more than just a sense of humor."

She turned over onto her side and rested her head in her hand, looking me over. That quick perusal was all it took to make my stomach clench and my dick harden. The heat of her gaze made every part of my body take notice. Her eyes were making promises that she probably isn't even aware of ... that I could trust her, desire her, and love her, and she wouldn't try stopping me. Not now.

Her breast was almost brushing my arm, and it took everything in me to keep from touching her. I wanted to pull her to me more than I wanted to breathe, but there would be plenty of time for that once Steph understands that this isn't going to be another casual, one time thing. When I get her naked again, there will be no doubt in her mind that my body will be inside hers more than _once_, and for more nights than just this one.

"Like what, Batman?" Steph said, snapping me back to the conversation and away from thoughts of how swollen her lips and body get when I kiss her. "You've got me curious."

I've built a business based on my uncompromising reputation and my _don't give a fuck _attitude, and this little curly-haired woman has turned out to be the only person who could get me to take a break from the 'Batman' persona and get reacquainted with Carlos Manoso again. It was extremely hard to do for someone like me who always chose to keep emotions private, but I tried to be completely honest with Stephanie for the first time since I met her.

"I'll ask a question of my own," I told her, mentally searching for the right words to tell Stephanie what she has come to mean to me without sounding like a total pussy. "Do you think I'd jump on a plane for just anyone, Steph?"

"No," she said to me. "I know you've done it for Julie countless times. And I'm pretty sure if your family or Tank needed something, you'd be there faster than they could tell you that they'd be fine."

"Exactly, Babe. Because they're _family_."

"See, I knew you had a hidden soft spot," she told me, her full lips smiling a little as she tried teasing me.

"I do, Stephanie," I said, using her full name to get her attention. "And I'm looking at her."

"Ranger, you've been clear that you care about me," Stephanie said. "And I'm not going to demand anything more than that from you. I hated that Joe always wanted to change me, and I'm not about to do the same thing to you."

"Maybe you should demand more," I told her quietly, finally saying what we've both been avoiding, "because you deserve it."

I could see her body go still.

"What do you mean?" She asked me.

"Turns out _someday _is actually _today_, Babe."

"_Holy crap_," she whispered.

"That isn't exactly what I wanted to hear, Steph."

"Sorry," she said to me. "But I never thought those words would come out of your mouth."

"I've said that I love you, Steph, but it really goes beyond that," I told her, stepping out of my comfort zone and trying to open up a little. "If you're sure that you and Morelli are done, and you won't be tempted to forgive him when he comes crawling back, then I want to see if we can be as good together as we've both imagined."

"Ranger," Steph said, "I doubt you can possibly get any better ... imagination or not."

"That sounds like a challenge, Babe," I told her. "One I have no problem taking on."

I don't think Steph noticed that she had moved fractionally closer to me as I was talking. While that is a good sign, I wanted no misunderstandings anymore.

"Are you with me, Steph?" I asked.

I could already see the answer in her eyes, but I wanted to hear the actual words.

"_Oh ... yeah_," she said. "I'm definitely with you. And Ranger ...?"

"Yeah, Babe?"

"I'm glad you decided to come home today," Steph told me.

"Not more than I am, Steph."

And I did what I've been longing to do since the last time I shared a bed with Stephanie. I reached out and pulled her body over mine, kissing her with barely controlled force. When her lips conformed completely to mine, I knew I wasn't leaving here tonight ... if _ever_. One of my hands slid under her tank top, while the other climbed slowly up into the leg of her little shorts. I smiled against her mouth as I felt evidence that the heat had gone from her eyes to between her thighs. Her legs straddled mine, opening herself up to my exploring fingers, and when Steph started moving against my hand, I was leaning heavily towards never leaving this bed or this woman again.


End file.
